Some patients require expander in their orthodontic treatment. They have a narrow upper jaw that requires expander to push out the upper jaw sideways, loosening up the locked bone that is located in the mid section of the roof of their mouth. The upper jaw is also connected to the nose, which allows the expander to open up the nasal airway. Thus, if your child breathes through their mouth or has snore/sleep apnea, expanders help open up his/her airway. However, there is a window for this appliance to work. The bony lock become solid with age and will not work with expander alone after a certain age. Girls’ bone mature faster than boys’ and the window for expansion close sooner than boys. Also, when your child needs braces after the expansion, there will be a waiting period of 4-6 months, since the loosened gap between bones will need some time to fill up before we move patients’ teeth.

There are different types of expanders, but the most popular ones are the ones that bands go on the upper molars and have arms extending to the front. We ask parents to use a key to open up the expander. Depending on the severity and age of the patient, we may ask to turn every other, every or twice a day. These turns will push the teeth apart, in turn pushing the bones sideways on the upper jaw. This will create space for the upper jaw as well.

Please call us to schedule a free consultation if you live in or proximal to Redmond, Woodinville, Duvall, Sammamish and Carnation. We are located at Redmond Ridge in QFC mall. We are just ten minutes away from Redmond, Duvall, Carnation, Sammamish and Woodinville Downtown.

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